1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data recognition apparatus for copy protection, a method thereof, and storage mediums therefor, and more particularly to a data recognition apparatus for copy protection which recognizes software distributed through a disc in physically different ways through RFID (radio frequency identification) and a USB (universal serial bus) memory so as to prevent illegal distribution of the software, a method thereof, and storage mediums therefor.
In more detail, software is distributed in a separated manner in a state in which main data and driving data are respectively coded in a disc with an RFID tag attached and a USB memory device, and a data recognition apparatus having an RFID reader and a USB port is used to decode the software stored on the disc and the USB memory device and provides the decoded software to a user such that the files essential to the execution of a program are concealed to protect the software from being copied.
2. Background Art
According to the Korea Software Property-right Council, the economic loss due to illegal use of software reached 300 billion Won a year in Korea, and when including software developed overseas, the economic loss reached 290 billion dollars in 2004. Therefore, damage to enterprises due to illegal distribution of software reaches several times normal profit margins. While the illegal use of software occurs in both private and commercial realms, it is more difficult to prevent the individual misuse of software than commercial. In the case of individual persons, since software can be illegally distributed over the Internet through P2P (peer to peer), Warez, Web Hard, etc. without permission from a copyright holder, it is difficult to disclose an illegal act or discover the person who initially distributed the software. Also, since the original file name can be changed upon distribution of the software, it is difficult to appropriately prevent the distribution of the software. In this regard, the reproducibility being a characteristic of software serves as a defect of the same software. In consideration of this fact, various software protection techniques have been developed in the art. The two most widely used methods which have proven advantageous are registration online through the Internet and offline validation using a CD-key.
One example of a technique for authenticating a genuine product online is described in Korean Patent No. 0602107 registered on Jul. 10, 2006 and entitled “Software rights management system and its method in network configuration”
The system disclosed in Korean Patent No. 0602107 comprises a client PC in which software is installed, and a license server which receives user information through a network from the client PC and conducts the authentication of the software. The license server comprises a communication module which transmits and receives data to and from the client PC, a product registration module which receives a product serial number and registers a product, a product registration database in which the product serial number is stored, a user authentication module which judges whether a user is an entitled user, and a user authentication database which stores an entitled user's authenticated log. Hence, in the technique disclosed in Korean Patent No. 0602107, in order for a user to obtain permission for the use of the software on the client PC, the user must access the license server through the network. The license server judges whether the user is an entitled user through a sequential confirmation process in which the product serial number of the software, collision, execution and IP address are checked and an inquiry into the validity of the user is conducted. The license server then transmits a permission or refusal notice to the client PC in order to allow or prevent the use of the software so that the copyright of the software can be protected.
Further, one example of a technique for authenticating a genuine product using a CD key is described in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2005-0052980 published on Jun. 7, 2006 and entitled “Method for electronically producing a serial number comprising the identification of the software, contents or electronic information, method for publishing a coupon on which said serial number is printed and method for decrypting said serial number, and computer-readable recording medium which records the program executing said method.”
In the technique disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2005-0052980, a serial number capable of identifying the authenticity of a software-based product is generated, and identification is carried out using the generated serial number. In particular, the identification method comprises the steps of receiving a generated final serial number, decoding the received serial number, extracting variables and the solution of a specific functional equation from the decoded serial number, determining whether the solution satisfies the specific functional equation already established between a serial number generation server and an identification server, and confirming whether the extracted variables include identifiers of the software, contents or electronic information. In the technique disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2005-0052980, since identification can be reliably conducted while there is no communication online between an entitling server and a contents providing server, the identification process is not adversely influenced by network problems or exposure of a serial number to possible hacking. Further, because the intervention of an intermediate settlement server is not necessary, fees can be saved, and the privacy of the contents provider and business proprietary can be securely protected.
However, in the techniques disclosed in the publications, problems are caused in that there are no measures to prevent illegal use of a program when the online authentication is evaded or the CD key is shared. That is to say, when an entitled user intervenes in the authentication or openly discloses the information or CD key necessary for decoding, other persons can easily gain illegal access to the program.
In the case of hardware, a user must be in physical possession of the hardware to utilize its function, and hardware is not easily reproduced. However, in the case of software, original copies can easily be reproduced and distributed without the consent of the copyright holder. In this connection, in a conventional installation method using a CD-ROM drive, illegal reproduction and distribution has been possible.